Finding Sandeman
by GeneticallyEnhanced1
Summary: Max, Alec, and Joshua go on a journey to find their creator, defeat White, and save the world. complete
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay folks! This is my version of how Max finally defeats the Familiars and finds Sandeman. It's less angsty this time around! You probably should read "Transgenic on Trial" and "Can't Save Everyone" before you read this. Enjoy! 

Chapter 1: Found but not Lost

"It's coming… its coming…" Max muttered in a trance, taken by the vision she had just experienced. Logan's voice appeared in the back of her head.

"… Max? Max? Are you okay?"

She turned her head and looked into his eye, her eyes oddly diluted. "I have to get out of here," she whispered. Logan cocked his eyebrow in confusion. Max didn't wait for his response but leapt from the stand in one swift motion. She began sprinting for the exit to everyone's amazement. Two guards standing at the doors blocked her path.

"I have to go… you don't understand," she explained, wishing she could tell them the whole truth. Her eyes darted toward White suspiciously, somehow knowing he was connected to the vision. Sensing Max knew something she shouldn't, White stood up slowly, soothing out his suit.

"Your Honor, this isn't a hotel. 452 shouldn't be able to come and go as she pleases. Even _they_ need to obey the rules," he sneered, accidentally letting his hatred for the transgenics slip into his speech.

Max knew the logical thing to do was to go back to the courtroom and take her medicine, but if the vision was real she had to do something about it. Apocalyptic visions weren't the kind of things you could brush aside. Desperate she tried to push past the guards, but they were prepared. Within moments she felt two prongs send electricity through her small body. She wriggled against the force and passed out. The courtroom could only look in awe at the sight of the unconscious transgenic, wondering what had just transpired.

Max awoke in her familiar cell. Grimacing, she rubbed at her tender sides where the prong had hit. She checked the window of her cell and figured she had been out about an hour. Dusk had just descended upon Seattle. What did the vision mean? Was it real or was she finally losing her mind? If it was real, how much time did she have? And who could explain it to her? Sandeman. If this guy really was her creator and White's father, maybe he knew what these apocalyptic visions were and what they had to do with her. She had no idea who Sandeman was, if he was as angelic as Joshua claimed him to be, or if he could help at all. But right now, he was the only shot she had.

Realizing her stunt presumably heightened security, Max decided she needed back up. She climbed on top of her bed, silently hoping Alec had kept his promise about keeping a vigil for her. She carefully positioned her watch and began flashing the signal in Morse code in the direction of the Space Needle. "C'mon Alec, answer," she silently pleaded.

Alec thumbed through a magazine he had fished out of a nearby garbage disposal. Pure smut. Shameless of course; and Max would probably smack him upside the head for looking at it, but entertaining nonetheless. Joshua noted his choice of reading material and growled softly. "Always tricks and treats," he reprimanded him.

"Naaaah, I read it for the articles," Alec lied, smirking slightly. "Whooo! Check out the rack on this one," he said, excitedly pointing to a centerfold and showing it to Joshua. Joshua merely glanced and shook his head in disgust.

"Hey man, just takes my mind off of other things," he claimed as he flipped to another page. "Oooh, keep draggin' that wagon."

"Like Max," Joshua comprehended, nodding. He frowned as he remembered his last meeting with Max. He wished he could take that moment back. She needed him… after she had been there for him so many times. And now… would he ever see her again? He looked down at the floor and put a hand through his hair. Then out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a light. He cocked his head like a befuddled puppy and turned to the source of the light. He blinked a bit, and then poked a deeply focused Alec.

"Alec? Light over there… keeps blinking," he informed his companion.

"Yea well, street light might be out. Another brownout or whatever," Alec mumbled as he looked at another scantily clad model. Joshua took a closer look. No, something was wrong. He shook his head and poked Alec again.

"No… this is different. A pattern," he prodded him.

At those words, Alec hastily pushed his magazine aside and walked to the edge of the Needle. He looked over to the light source and squinted his eyes to focus in. Joshua was right. There was definitely a pattern here. A breath caught in his throat as he translated the message. Max. And she needed help.

When Alec and Joshua arrived after successfully sneaking into the prison, they were surprised to see Max desperately trying to pick the lock of her cell with a deranged look in her eye. She was so deep in concentration that she didn't even hear them approach. They watched her movements in amusement for a moment, until Alec spoke to get her attention.

"Pssst! Hey Max! You gonna keep toying with that thing all night or just give in?" he teased. Max looked up at Alec, then Joshua, and a small smile flashed on her face.

"Took you long enough," she snarked, becoming more solemn.

"Yea well, didn't want to miss the concert," he quipped as he quickly opened the lock with the key he had 'acquired' from the guards. He grinned smugly as the door clicked and flew open. Max rolled his eyes at his exuberance.

"Yea, you want a medal? Let's go!" she insisted, snatching her leather jacket from a nearby stand.

Joshua's eyes darted back and forth in confusion. "Wh-where are we going?" he asked flustered.

Max put her hand on Joshua's shoulder. "We're going to find Father," she explained. Joshua's eyes grew wide and he grinned widely at the news. He started to follow Max and Alec along the corridor with much gusto. Unfortunately, they had only moved a few steps before they heard the click of a gun and stopped dead in their tracks. Max closed her eyes in exasperation.

"I'm going to ask you to turn around slowly," the voice spoke behind them. They did as they were told and faced the guard. Max felt a glimmer of hope. It was Max. Only… he didn't look very friendly right now.

"You know, I was starting to think you weren't so bad. A girl from the wrong side of the tracks. But I guess I was wrong," he told Max, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Listen Max," Max spoke quickly. Joshua and Alec shared a confused look at her words. _Max?_ Alec mouthed to Joshua. "I have to go. You're in danger… we'll all be in danger if I don't go."

"Well Maxie, pleas of insanity aren't exactly believable… especially when they come from a desperate woman," he laughed callously.

"I'd have to be wouldn't I?" Max agreed in a sharp tone. "To leave the trial in the middle of a media circus and risk the lives of my people?" He regarded her, considering her words. She took note of his renewed interested and took a breath. "Please."

Max started to slowly lower his gun. "Do me one favor…" he said, considering his words carefully. "Find them." He knew he didn't have to explain that he meant his wife and kid. A huge lump formed in this throat as he felt the sense of longing again. He gulped and pulled his gun down by his side.

"I promise," Max agreed, seriously.

"Let's get out of here," Alec insisted, tugging her sleeve.

"Not like that…" the guard argued. With that, he pulled down the fire alarm. "Run," he whispered.

The fire alarm proved to be an excellent diversion as the prison guards ran around the complex in a panic. Max did his part by herding the guards toward the fire exits and barking out orders to keep them occupied. Meanwhile, the transgenic trio made their way toward the back exit with little trouble. With their heightened speed and hearing, they were able to detect the presence of the guards. Alec and Max signaled to each other, familiar with the rules of Escape and Evade, while Joshua hung back and did his best to follow their lead. Within 20 minutes, they were free.

Max took a deep breath as she took in the outdoors and her newfound freedom. A blanket of snow had descended upon the city and, for just a minute, she felt delighted to feel its crunch beneath her feet. She walked hastily and began to tug at her jacket. Alec sprinted beside her, confused.

"So we're just gonna start from scratch or do you have a carrier pigeon in there?"

"Thought we'd track down Sandeman's crazy yet less sinister son," she stated cryptically as she pulled out her cell phone and began dialing a number. "Logan, it's me."

"Max? Don't tell me... you escaped from prison," he guessed, rolling his eyes at his rambunctious ex-girlfriend.

"So if I told you the end of the world was upon us?"

"Wouldn't believe it if it was anyone but you," Logan answered, a small smile on his face.

"Yea well, unless you have connections with any psychics in the area, I think we need to contact Sandeman."

"'Founder of Manticore?' Are you sure?"

"Nope, but we're out of options. Where'd you stash C.J.?"

Logan turned to his computer and rapidly typed on his keyboard. "127 Euclid Street," he muttered as he read off the screen.

"Got it."

"Max… be careful."

C.J. stroked the snake wrapped around his arm and smiled. "Don't worry George. They'll never find us here. Just you and me…" he laughed manically. At that moment, Max, Alec, and Joshua broke down his door and stood before him.

C.J. shrieked in terror, nearly dropping George on the floor. He then composed himself and eyed Max. "Took you long enough!" he complained as he walked over to Max, shaking his snake in her direction.

"Woah, woah… watch it buddy," Alec said, throwing up his hands as he backed away from the snake.

Max made a face at White's loony brother. "You were expecting me?"

"Yea! A little late, missy!" C.J. cried and walked over to a calendar, hanging lopsided against the wall. "The Coming is in only three days! We're all gonna be _doomed_!" he whispered, staring at Joshua with a crazed look in his eyes. Joshua had taken care of all of the basement people for years, but the man who stood before him somehow seemed crazier than all of them put together.

Max grabbed him by the shoulders to calm him down. "CJ… CJ… does your father know about the Coming? Does Sandeman know about all this?"

C.J. rolled his eyes, wondering why this girl didn't seem to understand him. "Of course he did! That's why he created _you_!" he cried, failing his arms about.

"So can we find this Sandeman guy then?" Alec asked, insistently shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe," C.J. said, holding his snake by the neck and staring into its eyes. "Only when you sleep I hear." The transgenic trio collectively rolled their eyes at him, growing more impatient. Joshua, desperate to find his long lost father, lost all patience and picked C.J. up into the air by his collar.

"Where is Father?" he growled, insistently.

"Ooooh Dad!" C.J. laughed as he stared at the ground below him, nervously. "Of course I know where he is." Joshua sighed and lowered him to the ground. Upon reaching solid ground, C.J. sprinted for the door. Max, Alec, and Joshua shot each other annoyed looks and followed in pursuit.

The motley crew continued trekking through the snow for what seemed like miles. The transgenics eyed C.J. who was marching forward without a focused look in his eyes, mumbling to the snake in his arms every so often. The wind whipped in their faces and they started to take note of the biting cold. Shivering and feeling a bit fatigued, Alec turned to Max.

"So how do we know this guy isn't leading us to White or even the middle of nowhere? Saying he lost his marbles seems to be an understatement here," he asked. Joshua nodded, sharing his concern.

Max sighed and scooted in front of their guide. "You gonna tell us where we're going? Any landmarks? It is a lab? A shed? A… flying saucer…" she interrogated him.

"We're almost there!" he insisted, frustrated. He picked up his snake, "She's not very trusting is she, George? Wait! Here we are!"

"Man's officially lost it," Alec sighed as he surveyed their destination. They were in the back of an undisclosed alley in Sector Nine. There was no building, no shed, nor UFO in front of them. Instead they faced a horde of people standing in a circle in front of an open fire alight in a trash bin. The people were clad in ragged clothing and looked rather unwashed. Max guessed they were homeless folks, trying to stay warm in the frigid weather. C.J. tapped one of the men huddling over the fire. He was dressed in a long overcoat and supported himself with a cane.

The man turned toward C.J. and pulled him into a tight hug without a word. He then regarded the trio in front of him. Max surveyed the man in front of her. He was an old man, rather tall and frail looking. His hair was thin, white, and dangled slightly in front of his face. His face was gentle, but slightly deformed. One eye was bright blue; the other was crushed slightly by loose skin. His face formed into a tight smile, wrinkling his aged face.

Joshua's breath caught in his throat, "Father."


	2. So Many Questions, So Little Time

Author's Note: Ok, I'll admit it. My title was deceptive! Sounded better than "Familiar vs. Transgenic," "Max Saves the World," or "The End of Ames" (hmm that last one's not too bad… oh well!) How… weird. This is story _does_ feature Sandeman, who I really wish we got to meet.

Another thing I should note about this chapter: I am a biology nerd. To explain about the transgenics, I put in some biology. So to understand this, I will give you a quick review of the DNA molecule:

DNA is composed of 4 nucleotides: guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine, which are linked together by hydrogen bonds in pairs. The nucleotides of DNA link up to complementary mRNA base pairs called codons. The codons specify for different amino acids in the body. Amino acids made up proteins which act as enzymes, catalysts, and basically 'make stuff work' in the body.

Biology rocks.

Spoilers: The Coming is pretty much as described in the commentary of "Freak Nation" if you haven't heard it yet.

Chapter 2: So Many Questions, So Little Time

"Father," Joshua whispered. The old man craned his neck to look up at his giant creation and hobbled forward for a closer look. He nodded and smiled at the bewildered dog-boy in front of him. Then he leaned forward and pulled Josh into a warm embrace.

"Joshua… my boy," he said, airily. Tears began to leak from Joshua's eyes as he was finally reunited with his long-lost father. He let himself be caught up in the moment as he rested his head on Sandeman's shoulders, and then slowly eased himself back. His bright blue eyes, wet with tears, connected with Sandeman's.

"Father, why did you leave?" he asked directly. Sandeman sighed and put his hand on Joshua's shoulder.

"My boy, everything will be revealed in time," he assured him. Not liking his answer, Joshua wrinkled his nose in disapproval. "Right now, time in not on our side," Sandeman sighed, pulling his hand through his thinning hair. He started to trudge toward a dilapidated building, the size of a small shed nearby. C.J. sprinted beside the old man and walked beside him, Joshua trailed closely behind, while a more skeptical Alec and Max walked beside each other behind the bewildered dog-boy. Sandeman reached into his tattered coat, pulled out a tiny, dull key, and stuck it in the keyhole. He slowly opened the door to reveal a dusty room. The room was fairly empty; there was only a small cabinet in the back and a strange cloth covering a large desk in the center of the room.

Alec coughed and touched his throat gingerly at the dust. "Remind this guy to fire his maid," he commented, dryly. Sandeman smirked slightly at his remark, then grabbed the cloth and swiped it off in one fluid motion. Even more dust billowed in the air, choking the lungs of the unhappy transgenics. Joshua then took note of what was under the cover and tilted his head in confusion. Sandeman revealed a rather outdated computer from the late 1990s. The monitor was huge, foreboding, and took up most of the desk. The keyboard and computer were a dull yellow color from years of wear and were caked with a thick layer of dust. Joshua hovered around the enormous piece of machinery and began swiping the dirt away obsessively. Sandeman leaned down pressed a button, turning the machine on. The computer began to grind and moan as he turned to the desk drawers in front of him.

Max and Alec exchanged a look and scowled. Max blew out her breath and addressed her creator, "Okay, what's going on here? Are we checking Email? The weather report? I don't know… she asked, irritated. Sandeman frowned and shifted through the drawers slowly and methodically. His fingers eased through a stack of colorful disks in the center of the drawer one by one. Suddenly, he stopped flipping and grasped a plain, gray disk from the pile.

"Aha!" he shouted, triumphantly waggling the disk at Max and Alec. He slipped the disk into the computer and waited for it to load. When the screen began to display, he smiled and turned to the transgenics. "You see, in this disk are all of you. The genetic codes of every one of my children."

"Yea? And what good is that?" Max prodded.

"It's her… I need her. The one who can stop all this. The one who can save us all," he said, his eyes lighting up as he tapped the monitor screen.

"Dad… dad!" C.J. exclaimed to the old man, tugging his clothes to get his attention. Sandeman turned toward his son, his brows knitted in confusion. CJ then rushed between the two bewildered X5s, his snake still coiled around his neck. "Look!" he exclaimed, putting his arms around Max and Alec. Max scowled as the snake around CJ's neck started to slowly slither onto her shoulders. Feeling the pull of the snake off his neck, CJ nodded and turned toward Max. "She's the one," he declared, with wide eyes.

Suddenly intrigued, Sandeman walked slowly over to Max. He surveyed the woman in front of him, curiously. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Max decided that she needed to take control of the situation. She pulled the snake off her neck, holding its long body with both hands, and handed him to Alec. Alec frowned in disgust, but reluctantly took George, extending his arms to make sure he was away from his body. "Yea and I got the creepy tattoos on my skin to prove it. Thanks for that," she scoffed, pulling off her gloves to reveal the ruins.

Sandeman jerked her hand toward him with a swift movement. He gently began to trace over the tattoos on her arm. "Ancient Minoan, yes, yes…" he whispered. "Come with me. You should be right in here." Max stared in front of a blank computer screen, confused, as Sandeman typed furiously on the keyboard.

"Yea well, I don't think you Familiars can translate the invisible words on the 'Black Screen of Death'," Alec said, noting that the Sandeman's monitor seemed to be completely black.

"Ahhh, but you can't see the codes without a trigger," he replied, cryptically. Sandeman again reached into the cardboard box and pulled out… a scanner? It was an older, handheld scanner connected to the computer by a twisted wire. Alec and Max exchanged confused look at the object in front of them. Then in a second, Sandeman had grabbed Max by the neck and pressed her against the table. Max struggled under his grasp, the amazing strength of the Familiars suddenly coming back to her. Alec tried to make a move to stop him, then halted dead in his track when he realized what Sandeman was doing… He was slowly passing the scanner along the barcode on her neck.

The scanner made an eerie buzzing and then a loud _beep!_ sounded. Max stood up slowly as her genetic code started to flash into the computer. Her eyes traced the sequences of nucleotides, instantly computing the information into her brain. In a matter of seconds, her entire genome was completed. CJ giggled in amusement pointing the snake toward the screen. Max scowled and felt the back of her neck. "Did you just _scan_ me!" she asked incredulously.

"The barcodes… they pick up the laser and transfer it through the DNA. The laser bounces off and forms a complete image of all the nucleotide sequences. They're sort of a… map to your DNA. That way I would know if anyone… altered it. That's why each one of you has a unique barcode number," he explained as he stared into the computer at Max's DNA, scrolling down with his mouse.

"So… they're _not_ a form of identification?" Alec inquired as he unconsciously began to feel his own barcode. Sandeman head whipped around at his question.

"_No!_ Of course not! Your numbers were never meant to be names!" he cried, as his wrinkled hands balled into fists. "Why do you think I called him Joshua?" he asked, beaming at the large dog-boy in front of him. Joshua smiled and put an arm around Sandeman with pride.

"See? I told you. Father's a good guy," Joshua smiled, feeling more confident in his words.

"Not that good," Max scoffed. Or maybe you forgot how he left you in the basement to rot? And… us too." Max's eyes searched Sandeman's for an explanation. He only stared at her, his mouth shut tightly with an unreadable expression on his face. Feeling her anger rising, Max opened her mouth to say more only to be cut off by an equally indignant Alec.

"You left us to them," he added, his voice heavy with emotion. "Do you have _any_ idea what they did!" he asked, his voice now rose to a shout.

"They tortured us, beat us down, made us… made us slaves," Max added, her voice cracked with emotion.

"No… no… you don't understand!" Sandeman protested, shaking his head. He slowly rose from his spot near the computer and began to pace the room with his cane. "The government… they betrayed me. Of course they betrayed me. It still needed to be done. You still needed to be created," he mumbled.

"Why?" Max said, asking the question she had wanted to ask all her life.

"To defeat them!" CJ interrupted, jumping between Sandeman and the transgenics. "Geez, Dad I'm sorry. She just doesn't seem to get it. Why doesn't she get it, George?" he asked, flustered.

"CJ," Sandeman said, putting his arm of his eager son's shoulder to calm him.

"And just what the agenda of the Familiars?" Max prodded.

Sandeman stared at the wall in front of him, stroking his cane in thought. "Thousands of years ago, a comet flew across the atmosphere," he explained, waving his hand in emphasis. "The comet carried a certain viral material. It is estimated that 90 of the human population was completely wiped out. Some however, were… genetically predisposed to survive. We… the Familiars, wanted to ensure our survival if the comet ever struck this earth again. We carry the antibodies to guard against the virus. The comet… is coming back. It's coming back," Sandeman then turned to CJ and stroked George gently.

"What's the deal with the snakes? Some kind of Familiar reincarnation ability?" Alec inquired, rolling his eyes. He was finding Sandeman to be just as loopy as the Familiars anyway.

"The snakes were bred by our people to carry a virus similar to the one brought by the comet all those years ago. If you are bitten and survive the ritual, it means you are immune to the virus and the effects of the comet. If you do not survive, you are not chosen and they leave you to die," Sandeman sighed softly and looked at CJ again.

"I loved my sons. I-I had seen many children writhing on the floor when they failed. I couldn't bear for that to happen to one of my own. So… I tested their blood. They found out somehow," he said, twisting the cane back and forth against the palm of his hand. "That was when I was banned. They approached me and said 'if they are not Chosen it is the will of Fate.' I started to look beyond the Familiars… our people." Sandeman looked outside the window of the ramshackle building. "I thought of all the others, how they would lose everything. It didn't seem right. How could we inherit the Earth and stand aside while everyone around us perished? That was when I started… the project. How I created you… him… everyone," he smiled, pointing to Max, Alec, and then waving the air with a flourish.

"We were made to help them," Joshua concluded, connecting the pieces of the puzzle.

"Yes, yes!" Sandeman agreed enthusiastically. He made his way back to the desk and pointed at the computer screen, which still showed Max's genetic code. "I made each of you immune to the toxins. But you also had to be prepared to face the Familiars so spliced human DNA with animal DNA to enhance the senses. See, these are the codons that specify feline DNA. They'll form the amino acids tyrosine, glumatic acid, cysteine…" he pointed to a group of nucleotides with two fingers. "They make you more agile, faster." Max moved closer to the screen to read her code. "This one… shark DNA: to keep alert. And this one," he traced a longer strand of DNA down. "This one is the one that provides the antibodies for the cosmic dust. The one that will save all of mankind," he explained, his eyes glimmering with hope.

In addition to being hit with the news that she was, in fact, the savior of the planet, something else about the explanation wasn't sitting well with Max. "Wait so, that was the plan all along… for us to be super soldiers," she scowled, feeling angry.

"I didn't know," he whispered softly, while staring at the floor intensely. "I only found out years later. And then it was too late. They swept the project from underneath me. They made my children into… killers," he finished, turning around and eying Max suspiciously.

Max realized that Sandeman must have been keeping up with her trial on the news the past few weeks. She felt stung by his words, but even more surprised that she _was_ stung by his words. What did it matter what Sandeman thought anyway? He wasn't even her father. Just some man from a wacky cult with too much time on his hands. Still, the sad truth was Sandeman _was_ the closest she was ever going to get to father and his words hurt. Alec noted Max's expression and stepped in indignantly.

"Hey, what do you know about it? You're the one who forced us to live the life we're living now. Besides… if you want to take a look at cold-blooded killers, maybe you should take a look at your son," he argued, shrugging his head toward the picture of Ames.

"Ames? No, he can't be. I… wasn't around much. They took care of him and poisoned his mind. He feels loyal to them," Sandeman protested, gently stroking the picture of young Ames with affection.

"No, he's right Father," Joshua added. "White is… a very bad man," he said, clenching his fists as he remembered Annie.

"Awwww, now that's not very nice," a new voice came from the other side of the room. Ames White stood in the doorway with a cocky grin on his face. Ten Familiars masked him on either side, each pointing heavy guns at the transgenics. Realizing they were vastly outnumbered and weaponless, Max, Alec, Joshua, Sandeman, and CJ slowly put their hands above their heads. They exchanged worried looks as the Familiars started to descend upon them.

"Don't you just love family reunions?" White sneered.


	3. An UnFamiliar World

Chapter 3: An unFamiliar World

Alana84: Thanks for the nice words! Sorry this chapter is so late. Hope you like it!

fee-kh: This story's actually part 3 of a sort of big story. The trial was covered in Transgenic on Trial and the reason for the trial is covered in Can't Save Everyone. I guess I have a lot to say!

Author's Note: Thanks a lot for the reviews everyone! Sorry for the delay. School takes up a lot of time. I will try to be more prompt in the future. This thing is all mapped out in my head. Just have to leak it out. This chapter is kinda eerie, kinda angsty. Hope you enjoy it!

Max and Alec took their fighting stances as they gauged their adversaries. They were completely flanked on all sides by White's cronies. The X5s and Joshua blocked Sandeman and CJ from the Familiars and started to attack. Max started attacking the Familiar in front of her. After a few carefully placed punches and kicks, she managed to take him down. She panted slightly; realizing beating a Familiar took at least three times the effort of beating down a normal human. She threw an upper cut at the Familiar to the right and hoped Alec and Joshua were doing better.

Alec was a whirlwind of fists and kicks. He managed to take down two Familiars; landing one right in the gut and another right in the nuts. He had to remember to thank Max for the underhanded move she had taught him back in the ring. As he gazed down at the last Familiar, quite satisfied with himself, another one came up behind him. He whirled around and threw a punch to his face. The Familiars caught his fist and socked him in the jaw twice. He stumbled backwards into another thug, who promptly elbowed him in the back. Alec flung to the ground, smacking into the pavement and went down for the count.

Joshua, despite his more passive childhood, was fighting quite well. He was knocking the Familiars down like bowling pins, flinging them into the walls of Sandeman's shack. He sank his fangs into the arm of one startled Familiar and shoved him into the cupboard, shattering the board. After he had disposed of a third Familiar, White, who had been watched with an amused expression on his face, approached Joshua casually. Joshua bared his teeth angrily, not knowing if he could resist cracking White's spine a second time. He glared angrily into the eyes of the murderer.

"We meet again dog-boy. You know, us Familiars… we're not _supposed_ to feel pain. But what you did to me that night… it felt very much like pain," he snorted. "And well, I just want to say-"Joshua's eyes averted from the unflinching glare to White's arm, which was tucked into his jacket. But too late… in a moment White shoved an electric prod into Joshua's chest. Josh's eyes bugged out in shock. He grunted and tried to push away from the sharp pain in his chest, but his face met the floor next to Alec's.

"- I didn't much care for it," White finished, smiling triumphantly.

"Joshua!" Max cried as she saw him hit the ground. She elbowed the Familiar she was fighting in the face and dashed over to her friend. Just as she reached him, another Familiar came up behind her and twisted her arm behind her back. She grunted and struggled against his grasp. Before she could make a move, another Familiar grabbed her other arm, lifting her up off of the ground. Max struggled against their tight hold. Seeing the fight, White walked up to her, a cocky smile plastered on her face.

"Looks like the _tactical_ move would be to give up, 452. You're friends are down for the count or… defenseless," he said, nodding at CJ and Sandeman who cowered in the back of the room, flanked by Familiars. "You wouldn't want to put them in any kind of jeopardy, would you?"

Max observed the state of her friends and sighed. She kept a stoic look, not wanting to give White the pleasure of her despair. "You win this round White," she sneered.

"I win this always, 452," he smiled.

Max sighed as the truck climbed clumsily over a speed bump, rocking back and forth. She scratched at the handcuffs clamped on her wrists and stared at her fellow passengers who appeared just as miserable. Alec, Joshua, Sandeman, and CJ huddled together atop a couple of ratty cardboard boxes. Alec and Joshua shifted uncomfortably, also bound by handcuffs. Six Familiars also stood near the sides of the truck, silently observing their prisoners. A grate blocked them off from the front of the truck where Ames drove the armored truck.

"What's the plan Max?" Joshua whispered, leaning toward her.

"Sit tight, that's the plan," Max murmured, nonchalantly.

"Yea, great plan Max," Alec retorted. "Hey guys!" he called to the Familiars. "Ever hear of seat beats? You know… might be a good idea." The truck rattled over another bump rattling harder from side to side. "Barf bag? Barf bag will work too."

Sandeman crawled over to the grate and stuck his fingers through. "Ames my boy… what's become of you?" he asked whispering through the holes.

CJ looked at George, who was clinging even tighter to his arm in fear. He grasped him by the neck and spoke to him. "See, George? Didn't we tell Dad he was crazy?"

Sandeman looked backward. Everyone was nodding, even the other Familiars. No one spoke for the rest of the trip.

When they arrived at last, everyone was quickly herded to their cells. Familiars watched the visitors and nodded as they passed through. Max, CJ, and Sandeman were placed in one cell; Alec and Joshua were thrown into the adjoining cell. Max frowned as she grasped one of the bars. This all seemed so… well coordinated. Ames walked up to her cell, still smirking.

"Comfy 452?" he asked.

"'Comfy'… right. Compared to this Manticore seems like the Ritz," Alec moaned, taking in his meager surroundings. Max rolled her eyes and faced White.

"You wanna tell me how you did this?" she asked.

"This? Ah well, this was easy. See, I set my dim witted brother here loose, knowing he would find you," he explained, gesturing toward CJ.

"You're lying," Max interrupted. "CJ couldn't have any bugs on him. We checked him when he first approached us," she said, remembering how Zach had been tagged after she helped break him out of Manticore.

"Not CJ," White said. He walked beside CJ and began patting his snake absently. "It was good old George here. He wasn't too thrilled about us sticking an implant down his throat, but we Familiars have always had a special relationship with our cold blooded friends."

CJ looked at George in shock. "CJ? How could you!" he asked, incredulously.

"Good relationship, huh? Wait'll I tell them how you like to crack them open and drink their blood. Bet they'll stick you on their 'do not invite' list next time," Max remarked.

"Yes 452, we do use their blood. You're very clever to find our secrets after our years of hiding, but not clever enough. You're just not powerful enough to prevent the events set in motion thousands of years ago."

"Don't be so sure," she answered, confidently.

"Oh yea? The plan has already been set in motion. Right now Familiars have taken over all levels of government in countries around the world. You're already too late."

Max raised an eyebrow, not believing what she was hearing. "You're bluffing."

"You think so? Well, let's just see what your friend Eyes Only has to say about that." He grabbed a remote and switched on a small television set that hung on the ceiling.

Max's eyes locked onto Logan's as she watched the familiar image flash onto the screen. Alec, Joshua, Sandeman, and CJ all huddled to the edge of the cell to watch the broadcast.

_Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city. Countries all over the world from England to China, and even these United States have been taken over by a cult called Familiars. These Familiars have gained power through lies, intimidation, bribery, and murder. They have taken down and assassinated those in power in all branches of government. These monsters have taken control of the world as we know it. They are stronger and more powerful than you and I, but they will not break our will. Fight them. Go underground. But do not give in. Stay strong in the struggle. Peace. Out._

Disturbing images flashed throughout the broadcast. In the U.S., the President put his hands in the air staring fearfully at the Familiars surrounding him, the vice president grasped at his heart, leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate hid on the floor holding their legs in a fetal position. Logan had informants from all over the world send him footage. World leaders from every continent surrendered their positions to the men and women dressed in long, red cloaks.

When the broadcast ended, Max stared at White with wide eyes. "Pretty impressive, huh?" he boasted.

Max had to cling to some kind of hope. She tried to keep her fear hidden as best she could. There must be something she had missed. She couldn't have really lost. "So why keep us here? Why not just get rid of us?"

"Ahhh, 452. I consider myself a dignified, respectable kinda guy, but I'm only human. I needed my taste of vengeance for what you did to my son. I want you to watch the people around you, the people you love, die for your failure. I want you to see the whole world as you know it, crash down in front of you," he said icily.

Sandeman came up to the bars to face his son. "Ames, my boy… we're your family. Me, CJ... even them. You know this is wrong. You can still stop this. Please, my son." He reached his hand out from the bars and grasped his son's hand in his. For a moment, White was stoic as he looked at his father's hand. A wave of emotions seemed to register on his face and his eyes appeared wetter. Then in a split second he yanked his hand away from Sandeman's grasp in a violent motion.

_"Don't you tell me what's right and wrong!"_ he screamed angrily. "You left me! You left us for _them_!" he cried, pointing to Max, Alec, and Joshua. "These _freaks_! These abominations!" White panted, a bit spun from his emotional outburst. He breathed and started to collect himself.

"But you won't have to choose any longer, Dad," he added practically spitting out the last word. "Because we are going to kill them… one by one."

"Ames… you can't! You won't! We're your family. I know somewhere in there you're a decent man. You won't do this. You can't do this to us," Sandeman pleaded.

"Oh I can't?" White asked slyly. He pulled a gun from his jacket and shot CJ straight in the chest in one swift motion. A startled CJ toppled backwards and fell to the floor.

"You're not my family," White said coldly, lowering his pistol. The others had barely registered the shock of the murder when Joshua suddenly slammed backwards to the back of his cell. Max rushed over to the side of her cell.

"Joshua? Josh, you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Don't feel so hot," he murmured as he slumped to the floor. Alec breathed and put his hand on his forehead.

"Yeah, y'know… I don't feel so hot either," he agreed as he also started to slide to the floor.

Max whirled around and faced her creator as her façade of courage faded away. "What's happening?" she asked; desperation apparent in her voice.

"The comet," Sandeman whispered his eyes blank. Max gazed skyward as she watched the comet streak across the atmosphere. It shone brilliantly and lit up the entire sky. If it hadn't signaled the end of mankind, it would have been quite lovely, she realized as she watched helplessly.

"Game over 452," Ames announced triumphantly.

Max hung her head. She had failed.


	4. One Last Shot

Chapter 4: One Last Shot

Author's Note: Ehmm, sorry this is so late. Truth be told, this sucker was tough to write! All this fighting stuff… hard to keep it interesting! I hope you like it though.  I'll try to have the next chapter up this weekend. It will be the last chapter of this story!

Max gripped the bars of her cell and manically pressed against them as she watched Joshua and Alec lie on the floor. Their clothes clung tightly to their bodies, soaked with perspiration. Their eyes were bloodshot and they had pained expressions written all over their faces. In a somewhat awkward position, Joshua and Alec were huddled against each other. If they were uncomfortable, they didn't show any sign of it. In fact, Joshua and Alec did not seem to be aware of themselves at all. They merely stared off into space in a catatonic gaze.

"Oh don't worry about them," a voice called out behind Max. She turned to face the older priestess of the Conclave. She had encountered her months ago in Willoughby during Ray's ceremony. She had knocked her out cold in order to retrieve Ray. The priestess, she could assume, was not too fond of her. "With any luck, Brother White will kill them cleanly and painlessly," she said in calm, disinterested voice.

"Awww, are we cranky after our little nap?" Max quipped condescendingly.

"You don't scare me. Brother White sent me to catch over you troublemakers. I don't really expect much trouble this time to be honest," she shrugged.

"And why is that?"

"Well, because most of the world should already be dead by now. What have you to fight for?" she whispered, flashing Max a victorious smile. _Was she right? Was it all too late?_ Max wondered. She whirled around to face Sandeman, who was hunched over CJ's body with despair.

"My son," Sandeman muttered as he ran his hand through his son's hair. Max scowled and walked over to him. She breathed out and put her hands in her pockets awkwardly.

"Look, Sandeman I know this is hard, but Joshua and Alec-"

"They'll be fine," he interrupted curtly.

"What?" she asked confused. They certainly didn't look fine.

"All of you, my children, are immune to the cosmic dust. They will recover soon. My son, he-he's lost forever," he moaned, caressing CJ's cheek.

"Look I don't want to sound cold or anything, but maybe it's for the better," Max commented. Sandeman stood up in surprise. "Well, what I mean is- the world's already gone to hell in a hand basket." Sandeman stared at her unblinkingly. Feeling awkward and defeated, Max finally lashed out.

"What do you care if he dies anyway? You left him to crazy Ames and his band of Familiars, just like you left all of us," she accused, crossing her arms to emphasize her indignation.

"Max, do you… do you even remember me?" he asked in a quiet voice. It was a question he had been dying to ask her.

"Sure, I prayed to great Creator every Sunday at the Manticore Chapel. You were in on one of the stain glass windows," she quipped, and then caught sight of the sadness in his eyes and breathed out. "A little," she admitted. "I remember your cane… you came to visit me. Called me your 'Special One.' Now I know what it means I guess."

"Do you remember that night, Max?"

"No… can't say that I do, oddly enough," she shrugged, wondering how her brain, which could process telephone number backwards by the dial tones, failed to retrieve this one seemingly important memory.

"I told you to come with me… to take you away from that place. You were a child, six maybe seven years old. I knew Manticore was being taken from me and I needed to get you out. You were the One. Do you know what you said?" he smiled, stroking his cane. "You said 'no. You have to take them too. They're my family.'"

Max was shocked at what she heard. She held onto one of the bars to steady herself. "Why don't I remember?" she asked, mostly to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to remember something… anything about her creator.

_She remembered herself strapped to an observation bed. One of the Manticore soldiers had injected something into her, likely a psychoactive. A laser danced on her right eye, as it had that summer in Manticore after she was recaptured. That bitch Renfro had tortured her to discover the identity of Eyes Only. _

_She remembered feeling terrified and confused by everything the first time. She didn't understand why she was being reprimanded. Lydecker asked her if she had any contact with anyone outside of Manticore._

_"No sir," she affirmed as she squirmed uncomfortably. She was, in fact, unaware that Sandeman had broken off from Manticore. She didn't know what 'outside of Manticore' meant. _

_Lydecker approached her angrily and pointed to a television screen. _

_"I'll ask you again soldier, who is this man?"_

_"No one! He's… he's no one," she cried, terrified. Were they going to kill Sandeman? She didn't know much about her visitor, but she did remember that he seemed to show her kindness and she didn't want him to be harmed. _

_Unfortunately, Lydecker saw right through her. He realized, with an odd mix of emotions that he didn't quite understand, that Sandeman did mean something to her after all. Max remembered being subjected to propaganda against Sandeman. The familiar projector flashed words like TRAITOR, ENEMY, and TARGET along with his image. _

She recalled, with a tinge of remorse, how many hours the torture seemed to last. How she felt so weakened and in pain after it was all over. She had pushed that memory, along with so many others, out of her mind and suppressed it. Max gulped and forced back tears. She was usually quite good at keeping a cool head and forgetting things that were better left forgotten, but with everything that was going on around her, she was feeling on edge. She ran a hand through her hair and turned back to Sandeman.

"Guess Manticore pulled a number on you huh? Taking the lab, everything right under your feet," she noted, putting a hand on her hip.

"Aaaah, but you understand me my dear. I did manage get you out of there," he said slyly, stroking his cane. Max furrowed her brow in confusion.

"I found out which among you was… the leader. The one everyone looked up to. X5-599," he said, enunciating the numbers very carefully and adding a wave of his hand.

"Zach," she said, recalling her brother with a melancholy tone in her voice

"Yes… I suppose so. I told him that it was better outside. That you wouldn't have to take orders, no one would be taken away… I spoke of freedom. His eyes lit up. He told me 'It's my job to protect them.'"

"The Escape," Max gasped.

"Yes, yes of course! It must all be making sense to you. Why would your brother want to escape to a place-"

"-He'd never heard of," she said, finishing his thought. Max's eyes widened, in surprise. There was an odd gap that just screamed for a 'father/daughter' hug, but given the newness and rather strange relationship they shared, Max could not. Her eyes focused on the floor and a small smile flicked across her lips. She looked up at Sandeman and muttered "thanks" in a barely audible voice.

Sandeman, with an uncomfortable smile on his wrinkled lips, reached out his hand to Max. "Come, there's still time," he declared.

"Time for what?"

"Time to save them."

"What! The priestess said everyone's already doomed!" she whispered between clenched teeth, eyeing the older woman suspiciously.

"_I_ was the Conclave's strongest scientist.I was the one who determined the exact date and time the comet was expected to hit. After I told the Conclave it was wrong to let everyone on the planet die, they started dismissing me, you can imagine. It was then that I started keeping my research to myself just in case," he explained with a grin. "As I expected, the virus would be potent, it would take place immediately, and everyone who came in contact with it would die… eventually."

"How long do we have?"

"Two, maybe three days," he said, stroking his chin. "Now just how do we get rid of this… vile woman?" Max looked at the priestess pensively and put a hand on Sandeman's chest.

"I'll see what I can do…" She walked up to the edge of the cage and glared at her. The priestess was staring at her unyieldingly. "So how 'bout a cup of water for me and the old man?" she asked.

"Nice try, 452. I know of your tricks. Never let a member of the X series alone for even a moment," the priestess declared smugly, putting her hands behind her back. Sandeman came up from behind Max and stood beside her.

"Marie, you know this is wrong. All those people, all those women, children, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters will all die. You have to let us go. We have to help them. Please," he pleaded to her. Max rolled her eyes; trying to illicit sympathy from a Familiar was tougher than getting the last bit of toothpaste out of the end of the tube.

"Brother Sandeman, you are a traitor. You turned your back on the Conclave and everything we stand for. Why would I ever listen to you?" she snorted.

"Because you've been out there Marie! I know you have! You think I'd forget that day? When you wanted to leave the Conclave?" Max leaned in closer now, suddenly interested.

"Stop it!" she shouted and turned her back to Sandeman. "I was wrong to deny the Conclave. They set me straight. I will _never_ disobey them again and if you press this further, I will have the Conclave take you down now," she threatened through clenched teeth.

"The child's death… it wasn't your fault Marie. It was theirs. You don't belong here. You feel safe here. Everyone says it doesn't matter here," he said in a soft voice.

"It _does_ matter! Of course it matters! Everyday I think of what would have happened if I never brought the child here. If I had just stayed with him… with Max," she whispered and covered her eyes, letting out a hysterical sob.

Max's eyes widened at the name. "Max?" She grasped the bars of the cell. "Look, do you have any idea what he does? Your husband?"

Marie wiped her eyes with her long sleeve and tried to calm herself. "I-I'm not supposed to know. It's forbidden to check in on him," she said, and then her voice dropped to a low whisper. "He's a security guard at the Langford prison."

Max breathed out in shock and pressed Marie further, "You miss him? Do you still love him?"

The priestess's face turned sour. "What's it to you 452? What do you want with him? This is not your concern."

"He still loves you," Max stated bluntly.

"What?" the priestess whispered, pain written on her face.

"He sort of sent me… to find you. Not a bad guy actually. You guys may want to think about hooking back up."

"No more escaping, Marie. Leave all this behind you. Forget them!" Sandeman insisted.

The priestess looked at them angrily, then sighed and pulled out her keys. "This is impossible anyway. It's already over," she grunted as she struggled with the lock. Max rushed out of the cell as soon as it was opened. Sandeman stooped over and gently picked up George before following Max's lead. "The ceremony should be starting now. You better hope you have a good plan Brother Sandeman," the priestess said.

In one smooth motion, Sandeman pulled her into a tight hug. The priestess looked shocked, and then returned the hug. "Fe'nos Tol my Sister."

The priestess watched Max and Sandeman sprint off. "Fe'nos Tol my Brother. And good luck," she whispered.

Max followed close behind Sandeman, who was sprinting forward with an extremely focused look on his face. Suddenly, a thought hit her and she grabbed Sandeman's arm tightly. "Wait! What about Joshua and Alec?" Sandeman gestured toward their cell. Max realized that Joshua and Alec were still leaning against the bars, out of commission.

"They'll be fine," Sandeman insisted. "We have to hurry. They may have started already."

"Started _what_? What is this ceremony? Oh, lemme guess: they're sacrificing a goat to please the Great Snake God," she rolled her eyes.

"_Sssshhh_!" he whispered harshly. "They think they've won. It's a celebration, of sorts." He pulled her behind a velvet curtain. "We'll just wait here for the opportune moment."

Max watched the Familiars, decked in their cloaks, walk up to the ceremonial altar and chant. A table stood in front of the altar. Two slender poles held large bowls filled with fire on either side of the table, a large chest sat on the left, and a large book was opened in the middle. The walls were filled with ancient torches, which burned brightly in the night. Children stood by each of the torches, on hand with oil lamps in case the torches should burn out. There were many more Familiars than the first time Max had witnessed their odd ritual. As before, the bald priestess stood before the altar holding the _kariff_ blade in her hands. The tall man with the long face and graying hair, whom White seemed to address as the leader, stood in the background crossing his arms. She suddenly realized that Ames was only about a foot in front of him. He seemed a bit out of place in the traditional Familiar cloak, but like all the rest of the cult he was staring intently at the altar. Max held her breath, hoping that no creepy telekinetic child would rat her out this time.

The bald priestess opened the wooden chest to reveal a pair of snakes, as before. At this, George seemed to wake from his perch on Sandeman's shoulder and slid down to the floor. Sandeman felt a rush of cold air and grasped his neck in surprise. He shot a nervous look at Max. Her brows knitted in confusion, then she jumped as George slithered across her feet. She stooped down and tried to grab the snake before it crawled past the curtains. He slipped just out of her reach and right onto the feet of one Ames White.

As George tried to zigzag around his feet, White suddenly felt a tingly sensation and gently hoisted the snake off the ground. He sneered and looked over in the direction where the snake had wondered off from. He strolled over to the curtain and lifted it up… only to receive a sucker punch right to his chin. White was knocked to the floor and touched his chin tentatively. He turned around and screamed to the Familiars. "Traitors! Get them!" He picked himself up off the ground and smirked as the Familiars descended upon Max and Sandeman.

The unlikely duo started to fend off their attackers. Sandeman was quite a decent fighter for someone of his age. He was able to throw a few well-placed punches at his attackers. One Familiar raised a ceremonial knife and stabbed him in the abdomen. Sandeman stooped over and winced in pain, then suddenly grabbed his opponent's arm and threw him to the ground. He placed a foot on his chest victoriously. The Familiar smirked at the old man. "Too bad you couldn't make your monstrous little children immune to pain."

Max had started to throw punches to the Familiars in the front. One by one they began to fall to the floor… only to pick themselves up as quickly as they fell. She grabbed the arm of one of the Familiars who also held a _kariff_ in his hand. Max struggled with his arm and kicked him backwards. She heard another Familiar approach him from behind and raised a fist to block him. She gasped in surprise as she felt blood ooze down into his jacket. She had been stabbed and unlike her creator, she could feel pain. Max stumbled backwards into the wall, feeling dizzy. The Familiar grabbed her wounded arm. She grunted in pain and struggled to get him to release his hold on her as another approached with a shiny blade.

Suddenly the attacking Familiar was lifted into the air and flung into the wall beside Max. The Familiar holding her arm looked up in surprise, distracted long enough for Max to elbow his chest, knocking him to the floor. She smiled at the face in front of her. "Thanks, Joshua."

Joshua gave Max a crooked grin, then grabbed another Familiar and threw her across the room. "Feeling a lot better, Little Fella." She grinned again and turned to her left, where she saw Alec fending off his own band of Familiars. She noted that one of the Familiars was holding the large chest, which had contained the snakes, above Alec's head. Max raced over to the Familiar and slide to the ground, knocking him off his feet. He toppled over and the chest flung threw the air, smashing into another surprised Familiar.

"Not bad, Maxie," Alec smirked. Another cloaked figure raced out from behind Max. Alec sprinted forward with both feet out and knocked her to the ground. Max admired his handiwork.

"Not so bad yourself, Alec," she nodded.

"Well, try not to be jealous. You did miss a few lessons," he teased. Their reunion was soon cut short as both turned to engage new adversaries. One Familiar started to advance on Alec. He landed a punch to Alec's chest, knocking the wind out of him. He then pressed his advantage and pushed him to the ground. The Familiar pressed his foot against Alec's temple. He winced and struggled to push himself out of his hold, to no avail. Suddenly a shocked expression came to the Familiar's face and he removed his foot from Alec's head. He started waggling his foot and stumbled backwards into the Familiar engaging Sandeman. The two fell with a loud thump onto the ground. Alec watched in surprise as George crawled out from under the Familiar's cloak. Alec and Sandeman shared a laugh as Alec stooped down to gather George.

"Hey, guess you're not so bad after all," he admitted.

Meanwhile, Max had started to pick up speed, knocking Familiars to and fro, ignoring the pain in her arm. It began to become mechanical as she took down one Familiar after another. After she successfully felled the fourth Familiar to the ground, Max paused to wipe the sweat from her forehead. When she put her arm by her side, she saw White standing straight in front of her.

"Hell of a party White, how come I didn't get an invitation?"

"Must've gotten lost in the mail," White retorted as he advanced toward Max. His foot flew toward her. She blocked his attacks with her good arm. The two mortal enemies became a tangle of kicks and punches. They flew around the room, attracting the attention of all around them. Max fell backwards onto the gong, making a loud dull noise. She pushed it down onto White who, despite his indifference to pain, did not seem to enjoy the crushing weight of the gong. He pulled himself from under the disk, with an angry scowl etched on his face. He attacked Max with an even greater resolve as they advanced toward the altar.

A child, watching the attack with a vested interest, tossed his oil lamp to the ground. Oil leaked to the floor around Max and White. Luckily Max had noted his action and was careful to avoid to the oil, much to the child's disappointment. White shot out his fist, only to have Max grabbed his wrist. She smiled and crunched the bones with malice. "Looks like you got the Children of the Damned wrapped around your finger, huh White? Maybe I'll bring him along and he and Ray will become bestest friends."

At the mention of his son, White's face distorted in anger. He wrenched his fist from Max's grasp and staggered back. A wicked smile came to his face. Then, in a swift motion, he knocked one of the fiery bowls to the ground. The fire leaked out from the mantle and started to pour around Max, the oil giving it added energy. She stumbled backwards from the inferno and away from the flames as they started to engulf them.

"What the hell are you doing? You'll kill us both?"

"Both? I don't think so. You see, I can't feel pain. Can you?" White approached her slowly and pulled out a gun from his cloak, "How does it feel 452? To know you've been finally defeated?"

Max's eyes darted around as she searched desperately for an exit. The flames started to lick against her jacket, too high to jump through. She was trapped, with no help in sight. Max closed her eyes tightly as the gun clicked. The sound of a gunshot filled her ears and then everything went black.


	5. And I Feel Fine

Chapter 5: And I Feel Fine… 

Authors Note: This chapter was a little hard to write. I hope I kept it interesting! There's more Logan in this chapter, in case you've been missing him. So without further ado…

She opened her eyes to see White's shocked face. His empty eyes stared in hers and he fell lifeless to the floor. Max averted her eyes, only to see Sandeman standing with a revolver in his hand, wisps of smoke billowing out of the nozzle. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at her rescuer in disbelief.

The moment was soon interrupted by a huge torrent of water. Max sputtered and pushed aside her damp hair. She grinned as she saw Joshua standing awkwardly with an empty bowl of water and a bewildered look on his face. "You alright Lil' Fella?" he asked as he dug his claws into the bowl. Alec pushed in front of Joshua and held out his hand for Max.

"Geez Max, what is this? Some kind of circus act?" he commented as he gazed at the charred ring on the floor surrounding her.

Max kept her eyes on Sandeman as she grasped Alec's hand and hoisted herself up. "Yea, this must be the Freak Show," she muttered offhandedly. She brushed at her jacket, and then did a double take as she assessed the damage in front of her. The entire room was strewn with felled Familiars. "Nice job guys," she nodded in approval.

Alec straightened his jacket and smirked with pride. "Yea, well don't break out the champagne just yet. A bunch of 'em ran off, I'm sure some of these guys are just in La La land, and we still have that pesky 'deadly comet thing' to worry about," he pointed out.

Joshua nodded at Alec's words. "Alec's right. We gotta blaze," he insisted. Max, Alec, and Joshua turned to leave, but then Joshua stopped in his tracks. Max and Alec saw him stare at Sandeman, with a conflicted look on his face. Sandeman was kneeling next to White's body solemnly. Max sighed and walked over to him. She bowed her head and stuck her hands in her pockets uncomfortably.

"Look Sandeman… I'm sorry. He was a bad man, but he was your son," she acknowledged.

"No," Sandeman said softly. He stood up slowly and turned to face Max. He stared at her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're my children." He walked toward Alec and Joshua and the three set off. Max stood by herself, taking in his words. She half smiled and took off after them.

Sandeman led the march forward, his 'children' trailing slightly behind. They walked wordlessly for a couple minutes. Alec sighed and ran up to Max's side. "Not that I don't enjoy these lovely winter marches, but where the hell are we going?"

"I… don't know. Just go with it and stop complaining," she muttered irritably.

"Well far be it for me to point out the logic of the situation, but shouldn't we be checking in on the state of the world or something? You know people who-"

A thought suddenly entered Max's head. She put a hand on Alec's chest to stop him. "Logan," she whispered. She ran in front of Sandeman.

"We have to check on Logan," she insisted.

Sandeman's brow knitted in confusion. "Logan?"

"My boy-… my friend, he could be sick."

"Max we don't have-" he started, then sighed when he saw the look on Max's face. "Alright, but be quick about it."

Logan heard footsteps on his porch and shut his laptop hastily. He pulled out the drawer in front of him and slowly took out his revolver. His heart jumped in his throat as he heard the door jiggle noisily. Logan took a breath and slowly eased toward the door, finger on the trigger of the gun. The door flew open with a loud bang, causing Logan to lose his balance and stumble backwards.

Max took no note of the gun as she strolled up to Logan and enveloped him in her arms. He breathed out in surprise, laughed, and returned the hug.

"I thought you died," they said simultaneously. They both laughed awkwardly. Alec, Joshua, and Sandeman filed in and started to make themselves at home. Logan smirked amusedly at their casual transgenic nature.

"I must have given you the antibodies," she explained. They smiled at each other, then she patted Logan's chest. "So how bad is it?" Max asked, switching back to her no nonsense tone.

"Bad," Logan admitted, pulling his swivel chair up, and returning to his computer. "Familiars have infiltrated every country, every city, every sector. They're taking no prisoners, Max. People are terrified. They've gone to ground, fighting for their lives."

Sandeman pulled himself up from Logan's armchair and approached the two. "This is hopeless!" he exclaimed. All four eyes looked at him, bewildered. "Even if I get the antigen from Max, how am I supposed to get it to everyone now? They control everything!" he cried, throwing up his hands in frustration.

Logan shot Max a befuddled look. "My creator," she explained matter-of-factly. He raised his brow at her in surprise and coughed awkwardly.

"Well, we haven't expanded all our options," Logan said, twiddling his fingers. He stood slowly, wincing at the pain in his legs. "Have you considered an airburst?"

"A what?" Max asked, confused.

"You know… nuclear war. They send bombs or shells into the atmosphere. They disseminate everywhere, covering a really wide range. So theoretically, we could take _your_ antibodies and spread them into the air," he explained, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Max grunted. "Logan that's the stupidest idea I've ever heard." Logan looked at her, crushed. "And pretty much all we've got," she concluded and smiled as she poked Logan playfully with her elbow.

Logan grinned back and started typing rapidly on his keyboard. "I'll see if I can find a lab nearby. How long do we have?"

"40 hours and ten minutes," Sandeman stated. They all shared worried looks.

"Got it!" Logan cried and began printing the directions. Max eagerly snatched the paper before the ink had dried. She looked at the paper a moment, memorizing the location. Then she pulled the paper down and instructed the group.

"Logan; find a military base. We'll need to break in and steal some kind of grenade launcher. Alec; you and Joshua rally the troops at Terminal City. Locate any transgenics you can. We're going to need to cover a lot of ground. Make sure everyone knows their assignment. Sandeman; I hope you're still good at splicing genes. We got a lot of work to do. Go, go!"

"Alright people! Listen up!" Alec shouted, clapping his hands as he walked up to the control center of Terminal City. "We got… 39 hours and 10 minutes to save the world. Who's up for it?" The residents of Terminal City started to congregate around to hear him. Most of them appeared confused by Alec's words, unaware of what was happening around them.

"I'm not!" Mole grunted, chomping his cigar. He ran up beside Alec and faced the crowd. "The ordinaries reject us… they kill us… why should we help them?"

"Yea!" several transgenics shouted, pumping a fist in agreement.

Alec bent over the rail in frustration. "People! People! Don't you realize… if we don't stop this everyone around us will be dead. Anyone you've ever met outside of Manticore won't survive the comet dust. Kaput. Everything... gone," he explained, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

"Fine by me," Mole muttered, indifferently. "Hey you know this better than anyone, right Josh? I mean you're Public Enemy Number One, right?" he added, playfully punching his arm.

"No… no!" Joshua protested. "You're wrong. Outside people… they-they can be bad. They get real mean when they're scared. But there are good people too. Annie… Annie was good people. And Logan too!" Feeling a strong resolve, Joshua turned away from Mole and faced the transgenic crowd. "Listen, outside people don't understand us, yes. But we can make them understand. If we save outside people, we don't have to hide anymore. No more basement. We can be… free." He grinned widely at the last word. All eyes starred at Joshua and the crowd fell silent. Then a voice spoke up.

Gem, the transgenic girl who had given birth during the siege at Jam Pony, raised her fist. "I'd like to see the light." Everyone stared in her direction. "An ordinary helped me bring her into the world. They can't all be bad," she explained, cradling little baby Eve in her arms. More and more fists flew in the air, inspired by Joshua's speech. Still, a large portion of Terminal City seemed indifferent and conflicted by their rather precarious situation. It was then that the monitors at Terminal City began to buzz with static. A familiar pair of eyes covered the screen.

_"Do not attempt to just your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city. The Familiars have taken over all of Seattle, all over the world. Unfortunately, this is only part of their sinister agenda. For years, Familiars have known about a comet that would streak across the sky and cause the death of humanity. Because of selective breeding, they are immune to the comet toxins. Our deaths will be their rise to power and glory._

_But there is hope. The transgenics, the same transgenics that you have condemned and killed, will be our redemption. One of the X series, X5-452, carries the antibodies to protect us. The situation is grim. But whether the transgenics succeed or fail, I want you to remember them as I always will. Not as freaks or mistakes, but as heroes. This has been a streaming freedom video bulletin. Peace. Out."_

Joshua and Alec turned away from the TV set and back to the crowd. This time, every fist in Terminal City was raised into the air. Joshua and Alec grinned at each other. Alec pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket and addressed the crowd. He raised the paper in the air.

"We're moving out people!"

Alec wiped the sweat from his forehead and entered the lab, surveying the room. He saw Sandeman hunched over a microscope, fiddling with the objective. Max sat atop a tabletop nearby, dangling her legs off the edge like a child. He dashed up to her. Max started a bit at his presence. "Oh… hey Alec," she said in a soft voice.

"Everything's in place Cap'n," he declared, giving her a mock salute. She nodded weakly. "You alright there, Maxie?"

"Yea, just didn't think I'd have to be a lab rat again," she commented, giving his a small smile as she scratched her arm. Alec saw she had a bandage around her elbow, indicating that Sandeman had gathered her blood intravenously. Still, a little blood shouldn't have fazed her like that. He gingerly pulled off her tattered, singed jacket. Then he noticed the sleeve of her right arm was covered with dried blood.

"Oh God, Max… when'd this happen?" he asked urgently as he pulled up her sleeve.

"One of those Familiar bitches got me."

"C'mon Max, you know better than that," he scolded as he started to swab her arm with iodine. She moaned slightly at the pain. Alec expertly bandaged up her arm. His hand remained on her arm.

Max took note of Alec's handiwork. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

"No problem," he said, rubbing her arm up and down. They locked eyes and lingered there for a moment.

"Got it!" shouted Sandeman, breaking the mood.

Max let out a nervous titter and hopped off the tabletop. She picked up the slide and eyeballed her blood for a moment. Then, decisively, she put the slide down and turned to her companions. "Alright kids, let's move out! There's a military silo with our name on it!"

Within a few hours, Max, Alec, and Sandeman had reached the rally point. They found themselves in a desert-like terrain, perhaps Arizona or New Mexico. All around them, they could see sand and dust. The area seems to be the place which civilization forgot. They were far from the dilapidated mess that was Seattle. Luckily, the X series had been trained to fly aircraft in order to complete any missions overseas. Joshua and the rest of Terminal City had broken into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and hijacked a couple planes. Max, Alec, and Sandeman had followed in suit, with Alec commandeering one of their jets. Max, having escaped in '09, had never learned how to fly. It was quite a novel experience for her, and if she didn't have the fate of the world on her shoulders, she might have enjoyed it.

They combed the desert, until Max found a huge crowd of transgenics waving their arms in her direction. "Wait… I see them! I see them!" she squealed as she urged Alec to land the craft.

"Alright, alright, keep your panties in a bunch," he muttered as he eased the jet onto the group.

As soon as the jet had come to a halt, Max tore out to catch up with the awaiting transgenic army. Joshua greeted her enthusiastically. In his hands, he gripped a gigantic launcher which dwarfed even his large frame. "Look lil' Fella. We found the launcher. Pretty cool. You got the antibodies?"

Sandeman triumphantly held up a beaker. "Let's load it up and ship it out!" Max declared. She started to load the gun when she felt the cold nozzle of a pistol on her neck.

"Not so fast, 452." The voice came from a scrawny man with grizzled hair and a manic look on his face dressed in a long robe. Max rolled her eyes, wrenched the gun from his hands, and kicked him in the gut.

'You guys came to get your ass handed to you again?" she asked, exasperated.

The man, whom Max realized was the Director of the Familiars, clutched his stomach and tried to catch his breath. "Not this time…" he choked, and with a wave of his fingers revealed a huge army of Familiars. He rose to greet Max, while his army gathered behind him. The transgenic and Familiar army glared at each other, daring the other to make a move.

The Director began to circle Max as if she were his prey. "You see my dear, you transgenic filth were made in one little laboratory in Wyoming. The Familiars… we've been around for centuries, building our numbers, our strength to take over this Earth. You are no match for us. But, I'm a fair man. I'll make you a deal. Let the rest of the inferior races die out and we'll expect the transgenics as our partners. Our friends. Do we have a deal?"

"Bite me," she retorted. The Director smiled and twiddled his long fingers. There was something rather snake-like about him.

"Well then… you just signed your people's death warrant," he declared, nonchalantly. He gestured to his Familiars and at his command; they began to descend on her army. Dust kicked up all around, as they started to attack each other. Max could barely see what was in front of her as she began dispatching her opponents. With one swift kick to her back, she fell to the floor. She began coughing up dust and squinted to regain focus. The dust cleared just enough for her to see Joshua receive a blow to the face and tumble to the ground. She looked around to make sure she had gone unnoticed, then crawled on her elbows toward Joshua.

Joshua caught sight of Max and gave her a weak smile. He held one hand to his head in pain. "Lil'… lil' Fella- this is no good. We're outnumbered here." He pointed his finger toward the crowd. Max frowned as she noted the never ending line of Familiars, who seemed vigorous and competent, even in the eyes of her supersoldier army. What could she do now? She felt helpless as she watched the destruction before her eyes.

"I'm sorry Joshua," she whispered as a huge lump formed in her throat. Joshua's brows knitted at her words and suddenly she was being hoisted into the air by an eager Familiar. It was Thula, of the Phalanx, the same woman Max had fought last year during the siege at Jam Pony.

"Hey bitch, coming back for more?" Max quipped.

Thula chortled loudly at her. "Oh but its different this time 452, isn't it? We control the world. We control… everything. We're whipping your army from here to next week. Within a couple hours, you'll all be gone and the world will be ours."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" a voice rang out in the background. Thula released her hold on Max and turned to face the source of the voice. The priestess stood solemnly on the horizon, staring intensely at Thula. Max saw Max, her prison guard, standing next to her and gripping her hand tightly. She held her breath, feeling uncertain about the standoff. Then out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Max was winking at her.

"Go home, Marie. I'd hate to destroy my own brethren, even if they are traitorous worms," Thula snorted.

"You underestimate us," she said, cryptically. Then she extended both of her arms out and closed her eyes. Suddenly a huge swarm of Familiars appeared from around her. They dove into the fracas and began aiding the transgenic army. Thula rushed in to help the other Familiars. Max held out her hand to Joshua and lifted him off the ground.

"C'mon Big Fella, we're not beat yet!"

Joshua nodded and the two friends began fighting side by side. With renewed vigor and the aid of the new transgenic friendly army, it didn't take long for the tides to turn in favor of the former soldiers of Manticore. The transgenic army watched with pride as the Familiars beat a hasty retreat into the desert.

Mole puffed his cigar and smiled at his fleeing adversaries. "That was pretty sweet," he boasted triumphantly. Max thumped her hand on Mole's back and turned to Sandeman.

"Sandeman, you got those launchers ready?"

"They're all loaded Max. I think we can still save them if we act fast," he said, looking at his watch.

Max clapped her hands together. "Okay people! We need people deployed all over the world. Take a launcher, head out, hit the skies, got it? Any takers?"

Several hands flew into the air. Joshua handed a launcher to each of them. Mole raised his hand. "I hear France is pretty nice this time of the year."

"Paris," Joshua's eyes lit up. "I'll go too!" Joshua had quite the affinity for French authors and jumped at the opportunity.

Max gave the volunteers their coordinates, provided by one Logan Cale, and sent them around the world to their strategic locations. She watched them leave, and then started walking away. Sandeman and Alec followed close behind.

Alec ran up beside her. "Is that it? Are you sure this'll work?"

Max didn't break her gait and continued marching forward. "Logan never fails. I'm sure he gave the right coordinates. Besides, in a couple days, we'll find out if everyone's dead." She stopped, bent down on one knee, and aimed the launcher straight up into the sky. It began with a soft _whoooosh_, and then flew into the air, ending with a loud _boom_! Satisfied, she grabbed her earpiece and called into it.

"Logan, did you get that?"

"Affirmative, Max. The coordinates are right… within a couple minutes the

antibodies should hit all over the West Coast. The rest are in order?"

"They've all been deployed. They'll check in as soon as they've set them off."

"Great. I'll confirm with you. And Max? You did it," he grinned.

Max smiled and pulled off her earpiece. She looked at Alec, Joshua, and Sandeman. "We completed the mission," she told them.

Alec and Joshua jumped for joy and pulled Max into a hug. The three friends laughed and clutched each other tightly. Max peered over at Sandeman, who was watching them with a smile, his arms crossed across his chest. "Well, c'mon… we couldn't have done this without you," she acknowledged as she invited him into the hug. Sandeman ambled up to them and received a tight embrace from his transgenic children.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so proud of all of you."

She threw him a half smile and broke away from the hug. She turned to see Marie embracing Max.

"You're safe now, my love," the priestess whispered to her husband.

"So do I get your Christmas card?" she teased.

Marie smiled at her. "Thank you 452. I know you didn't have to help me."

"Likewise. How exactly did you manage to accomplish this?" she asked, referring to the new band of Familiars.

"There were always more sympathetic Familiars among us. Many of us were scared. We would be excommunicated, persecuted, murdered. Didn't take that much convincing to get them to do the right thing."

She saw Max gazing his wife with warmth in his eyes. "Well I kept my end of the bargain, didn't I?" she smiled. Max the guard returned the smile and walked toward her.

"Thanks Max. For everything. And I'm sorry," he said as he twisted Max's hand behind her arm and slapped on a pair of handcuffs.

The world rejoiced as they realized how close they had come to their ultimate demise. Celebrations and parties rang out all over the world. People cheered, shouted, and waved the flag of Terminal City which Joshua had created. After the duplicitous nature of the Familiars had been revealed, they were forced to go to ground. The transgenics also remained underground awaiting their judgment in the eyes of the world. They remained hopeful that the jubilation was an indication of greater things to come and secretly cheered with the rest of the ordinaries.

While the rest of the world celebrated, Max walked into the courtroom gingerly, her head bowed in despair. _If saving the world from destructing isn't enough to get out of jail free, then I don't know what could. I might as well accept my fate. Maybe jail won't be so bad. There'd be time to think, relax, and no one could persecute me anymore. _The optimistic thoughts did little to assuage her despondent mood as she made her way to the front of the court.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Original Cindy rise from her seat and smile. One by one, everyone in the courtroom stood as they saw Max approach. She saw grateful, warm looks on their faces. Feeling a bit odd at all the adulation, Max quickly took her seat beside Logan.

"Are we ready to begin?" the judge began as soon as Max had sat down.

"Yes your Honor," Logan consented.

The judge folded his hand together and turned to the jury box. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The head juror coughed nervously and approached the stand. "We find the defendant guilty of first degree murder." The entire courtroom gaped in surprise and began shouting in a loud uproar. Max shut her eyes tightly and rubbed her forehead. Logan sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. The judge banged his gavel to silence the crowd and cleared his throat.

"Order! Order! Now Miss Guevara-"he stopped mid-sentence as he was approached by an eager young man wearing a loose fitting suit. He conferred with the judge on the sidebar and handed him a piece of paper. He clutched the paper and read it carefully. The judge stroked his chin with a pensive look on his face.

"Your Honor?" asked Logan, curious.

"Miss Guevara, it appears you have been pardoned… by the President." Max's breath caught in her throat. "No wait… I'm reading it incorrectly. You and all of your fellow transgenics have been pardoned by the President of the United States of America. Alright then, this court is adjourned," he declared and banged his gavel. The courtroom brought out into applause at the news.

Max merely stood in disbelief as she took in the judge's words. She looked at Logan with wide eyes. "Hey Logan… you better not pinch me or anything cuz I've gotta be dreamin'." He didn't answer, but had a huge, toothsome grin plastered on his face. She laughed and threw her arms around his shoulders. Logan laughed and twirled her small body in the air. He pulled her lips into his and they shared a tender kiss.

Original Cindy and Sketchy bounded up to Max's side, also sporting huge smiles. As soon as Logan allowed her to touch the ground, she was practically tackled by her two eager friends as she was squeezed into another hug. She giggled and gulped for breath as she struggled from their tight grasp. She stepped back, feeling dizzy with emotion and quickly wiped away the tear that had slipped from her eye.

"Congratulations Max," Logan said, as he also tried to hold back the tears spilling from his eyes.

"Yea, you're free!" Sketchy exclaimed, thumping Max on her shoulder.

Original Cindy put her hand on Max's other shoulder. "Congratulations, Boo. You're a free woman. No more black helicopter boys, no more Familiars, no more nothing.'"

"Yea," she whispered, contemplating her words. "So, now what?"

Logan, Original Cindy, and Sketchy all looked at each other. Then they laughed and pulled Max into another hug.

Authors Note:

Whew! I worked on this sucker all night so I hope you liked it!

Yea, so I sidestepped all the politics of the transgenics becoming free citizens. So sue me. :-p But I did it for two reasons: 1) I kinda thought it would be boring to write, though I've seen a couple fics do a pretty good job of it. 2) I really wanted Max and her fellow transgenics to get a break… they've been through enough (in the series and my stories)!

So my last part of the series, I'm going to sort of wrap up the loose ends and show Max's new life. This is where I finally cave and do a pairing! I did decide on one, but I can't tell you which yet! Thanks for reading and thanks for all the feedback (esp. Alana84). I hope you'll stay tuned!


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